Uber latest diversity report : better, but not enough

Uber just released its second annual global diversity report, the first one since Dara Khosrowshahi’s arrival in the company.

2017 was a tough year for Uber, who had to get rid of its former CEO, Travis Kalanick, after being accused of sexism and sexual harassment towards female employees. The company had, and still has, a lot to do to make itself look better, and to get back to that ambitious-welcoming-against all discrimination image it wanted. Just like other big tech companies, such as Facebook, Uber regularly releases diversity reports to analyse the composition of its workforce around the globe.

The latest one compares the March 2017 and March 2018 employees composition. The data includes the portion of women in the company, the number of tech workers women and women in leadership positions, among others. In March 2018, 33% of the workforce was made of women, compared to 30% in 2017. Black people, on the other hand, only went from 8.1 to 8.8% during the same period.

The real problem Uber is facing is the lack of diversity in leadership positions. Nowadays, white and Asian men still have the majority of tech leaders positions. Women are yet getting there, as there are now 16% of women at these posts. Women in leader positions, outside tech ones, are yet less than the year before, going from 20 to 19%.

Travis Kalanick’s ghost still above the company

Uber’s image has been severely damaged by Travis Kalanick and the accusations of sexual harassments made against him last year. The AnitaB.org, formerly known as the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology decided to end its partnership with the company in May 2017, just after the Kalanick’s scandal. The president and CEO of the organization, Brenda Darden Wilkerson, told CNN it “will remain resolute in our determination to see solid evidence of real change at Uber before we are willing to re-engage with their leadership.” A couple of months later, the Black Girls Code association rebuffed Uber’s 125.000 $ grant offer.

Dara Khoroswshahi, actual Uber’s CEO, also commented the report and told CNN that Uber is only starting to get things right when it comes to salary diversity. On the other hand, the company doesn’t plan putting quotas in place. The CEO adds that “[…] to define a goal at this point would be too soon. Goals are easy, actions are hard… judge me based on what I do, not by what I say.”